It Ain't Just a Wolf
by kynsen
Summary: Lisa (no relation to Dean's ex) is simply relaxing in her room when her brother tells her something he's just done. In a panic, she finds her parents go missing and is greeted by the Winchester brothers, who are determined to help find her parents before it becomes too late. Rating may change at a later date. Reviews are welcome.
1. Chapter 1

"Toby," I sigh, pulling out an earbud and pausing the video on my laptop's screen. "What are you still doing up?"

My eight year old brother stands in the doorway, one hand clutching the doorknob and the other holding a stuffed gray wolf to his chest. He's wearing his red and blue Spider-Man pajamas, and it's far past his bedtime. His blonde hair is a mess, as though he'd just woken up, but his blue eyes were wide with excitement. He bounces around on his toes as he speaks.

"I saw a wolf, Lisa!" He whispers, coming into my room and shutting the door again.

"In your dream?" I ask, turning back to my computer. "That's cool."

"No, Lis, just now!" He runs over and sits on the edge of my bed. I sigh and turn on the lamp next to me. Light filters across my room, revealing the messy state it's in. "At the door!"

"Oh yeah?" I ask, pressing play on my video, and Adam Levine immediately resumes belting the chorus to Wake Up Call. "Where?"

"Downstairs! At the door!" He climbs over and puts his hands on the top of my screen, leaving greasy fingerprints.

"Hey, hey!" I frown, peeling his fingers away from Adam's precious face. "Hands off, Tobe!"

"At the door!" He whispers excitedly, almost with a hint of urgency. "I let him in, come on, I'll show you!"

I freeze for a moment, tilting my head.

"You let something inside?" I ask worriedly.

"A wolf!" He beams, and tugs at my hand. "I'll show you."

"Toby, stop," I hiss, shutting my laptop and pulling out my other earbud. I take a breath to keep from losing my temper. "When did you let it in?"

"_Him_." Toby corrects me as I sit up, planting my feet on the floor. "I let him in just a minute ago. He told me he was cold, so I let him in."

"Oh God," I stand up, pulling the oversized black tee shirt I'm wearing down, and it almost covers my shorts.

I make my way to my door, trying not to trip over a pair of jeans I left on the floor. I turn the handle quietly, and crack the door ever so slightly. From my room at the top of the steps, I can see the front door wide open, wind blowing the small curtain over the window. I shut the door as fast as I can and press my back against it, jaw dropped.

"Toby Wilson, what did you do!" I whisper as loud as I can, wanting to yell but too afraid to.

The grin slowly falls from his face, and is soon replaced with a confused frown. He brings the stuff wolf closer to his face, stroking it nervously.

"I… He-" Toby searches for an explanation.

"You can't _do_ that, Toby!" I hiss, covering my face with my palm nervously. "That thing could be rabid! Even if it isn't, who knows where it is? Wolves aren't friendly!"

"This one was," He tries to explain to me. "He was nice, he…. he…"

His words are cut off as he begins to cry. I feel bad, but there's not much I can do at the moment. Bigger problems are at hand.

"Look, Tobe," I whisper, less aggravated than before. "Just hush, okay? Give me a minute."

I want to console him, I really do. I love my brother more than life but at the moment, I have to tell my parents. I don't want to risk walking down the hallway, though, so I cross to my bedside table and pick up my phone. I unlock it, open my contacts and select my mother's name. I put the phone up to my ear, and place a hand on Toby's shoulder. They rack with sobs.

My parents' room is only two doors down the hallway, with the bathroom between us, but I can hear her ringtone from here. The simple old fashioned telephone ring goes off a few times, but my call goes unanswered. It's about 2 a.m. and she's probably well into a deep sleep.

Now, I try my dad's phone. His ringer doesn't seem to be on, and if it is, I can't hear it. Especially now that Toby is full out sobbing. I want to take a moment to talk to him, but at this point I'm too scared. I try my mother's phone two more times, and give up. My only hope now is animal control.

I begin to rub Toby's shoulders, mumbling "Hush, Tobe, hush. It'll be okay," over and over again. I sit down on the floor and pull Toby to sit, too. He crawls onto my lap and burrows his head into my shoulder, spewing apologies between sobs. I try to assure him it's alright as I dial the digits 9-1-1 into my phone.

"9-1-1, what's your emergency?" The operator, a woman, says calmly.

"Hi, ma'am, um," I speak quietly into the phone. "There's a, uh, wolf. In my house."

"A what?" She inquires, almost incredulously.

"My, uh, brother let a wolf into the house." I know I sound like an idiot, and I'm becoming increasingly nervous. "It-It's hard to, um…"

"Is this a joke?" The woman asks, turning nasty. "You can get into real trouble for-"

"No!" I cry, a bit louder than I meant to. "No, please, I'm not joking. Please, just send, uh, a-animal control or, or something. I don't know where it is and it might be in my parent's room. They're a-asleep."

"Alright, miss, just calm down." The operator directs me. "What's your address?"

"1536 Livingston Avenue," I tell her frantically. "Please, hurry."

I stay on the line with the woman until I can hear the siren of a car approaching. At that point, I thank her and hang up. Toby has long since fallen silent, but hasn't moved away from me. He clutches me like a lifeline, and I don't mind. Poor kid must be scared out of his mind.

I dial my mother one more time, but she still doesn't pick up. The fact the animal control is here makes me feel a little less worried, but I still don't leave my room. I look down at Toby. He's apparently cried himself to sleep. I gently smooth down his hair, in hopes to comfort myself. His stuffed wolf, who he's dubbed Wolfy, has fallen to the floor next to me. Trying not to move too much and disturb my brother, I reach over and pick it up. I place it by his hand, and he instinctively grasps it, even in sleep.

"Hello?" A man calls from down the steps.

"Up here!" I call out, and am happy to know I didn't awaken Toby.

I hear him tromp up the steps and in a moment, my door opens. Before me stands a tall man, with black hair and dark skin. He's dressed in a blue uniform, and holds a long white stick with a loop at the end in his right hand. He opens his mouth to speak but I quickly bring a finger to my lips, and glance down at my sleeping brother. The man nods, and drops his voice to a whisper.

"My name is Clem. Stay in here until I search the house, okay?" He says calmly, and I find his voice soothing. I nod, and clutch Toby a little tighter.

The man walks quietly out of my room and shuts the door again, leaving me to listen and wait for his return. I soon find myself rocking back and forth, flinching at every creak in the floor boards. My room, although well illuminated by the lamp, seems cast in shadows. The darkness makes my situation seem even scarier, and I'm glad Toby isn't awake to see the fear I'm certain is strewn across my face.

I wait in silence for a few minutes until my door creaks open again. I take a deep breath and bite my cheek for a moment, until I see it's only Clem returning. I give a sigh of relief.

"You didn't find it?" I whisper, tilting my head to the side.

"No ma'am." Clem shakes his head, frowning. "I didn't find anything."

"So my parents are alright." I sigh, relieved. So much worrying for nothing!

That is, until Clem replies.

"Parents?" He asks, puzzled. He forgets to keep his voice low, and glances at Toby. Still fast asleep.

"My- My parents? They're in the room at the end of the hall." I speak slowly. "Asleep."

"Miss, I didn't find anything." Clem frowns, eyes widening. "No wolf, no parents, no nothing."

"You-" I can feel the air beginning to freeze in my lungs. "You must have just…. missed them.."

I slip my arms under Toby's sleeping form and stand up, cradling my brother. He mumbles something and fidgets some, but still doesn't awaken. Before Clem can even react, I'm out of my room and down the hall, in my parent's room. I look all around the room before finally laying my eyes on their bed. It's empty. My parents are gone.


	2. Chapter 2

This morning, I've already spoken to three cops, six family members, two teachers, and the head of Animal Control, and it's only about noon. My Uncle Chris has agreed to watch over Toby and I until we can find where my parents went. He got here an hour ago, and is currently talking to some cop up in my parents' room, probably trying to figure out where they could have gone to. Chris is my dad's brother, and they've been very close for years even after moving out of the house. I hope Toby and I are going to be like that one day.

Toby's a mess. He's clinging to my arm with a death grip, refusing to leave my side. When he found out Mom and Dad are missing, he completely lost it. He kept saying how it was all his fault for letting the wolf in. I'm still trying to tell him there was no wolf, that there couldn't have been and he was dreaming, but he won't hear of it. He just keeps mumbling about the wolf seeming so nice. I wish I could understand what he means. But at least I got him to stop crying.

I'm sitting on the living room sofa with Toby at the moment, and I notice another black car weave around the cop cars and park across the road from my house. Toby sees it too, and squeezes my hand nervously. I look over at him and give him an encouraging smile. He can't tell I don't really mean it.

"It'll be okay, Tobe." I tell him softly, and stand up.

Toby immediately follows suit, so I pick him up and place him on my hip. He's getting big, and I don't know how much longer I'll be able to pick him up like this. He wraps his arms around my neck and rests his head on my shoulder, still clutching his stuffed wolf in his left hand. He woke up just after I found my parents missing, and hasn't slept since. He's completely worn out, but refuses to sleep.

I bring Toby over to the door, but stay out of sight of the window. I can hear voices as people, at least two by the sound of it, approach the door. I look at Toby and put my finger to my lips and press my ear against the door.

"You sure about this one, Sammy?" A gruff voice asks unsurely. "I dunno, it seems like some sort of drunk thing. Like when I got seriously smashed in Vegas and I-"

"Be serious here, Dean." Another slightly higher voice cuts in sharply. I raise an eyebrow. Getting drunk in Vegas doesn't seem like a police officer-like thing to do. Anyway, the second voice continues. "The kid says he let a wolf in. The police haven't found any traces of a wolf, and suddenly the parents are missing too? Sounds like a-"

"Yeah, yeah. Well, we'll find out soon enough." The other voice grumbles, and suddenly there's a sharp knock on the door that almost causes me to jump.

I stay to the side of the window for a moment, so it won't be blatantly obvious I've been eavesdropping. I glance at Toby and nod. He buries his head in my shoulder. Then I open the door and I can feel my brother tense up.

Two black-suited men stand before me. One is very tall, with long brunette hair that stops just above his shoulders. I don't exactly think that's regulation, but I ignore it. His face is narrow and he smiles pleasantly. The other man isn't as tall, but certainly isn't short. His shoulders are broader, and he sports a dirty blonde crew cut. His angular face smiles as well, but I can't help but find the two intimidating. What can they be here for?

"Hi there," The blonde one says, and I recognize his voice as the deeper one. "I'm Agent Meyerwich, and this is my partner, Agent Paul. We're with the FBI."

They both flash their badges, and sure enough, FBI is plastered on each of them. Toby gives a small whimper and I reach over to smooth down his hair. I'm worried too, I want to say.

"It's alright, Tobe," I mumble softly, trying to calm him down. I look back up at the agents. "I'm Lisa Wilson." Something changes in Meyerwich's face changes, but I pretend not to notice. "This is my brother, Toby. Can I ask why the FBI is uh, being involved?"

"Well," Agent Paul begins, turning to look at his partner. "Sometimes if there aren't enough federal cases, we get sent to local high priority cases. Like missing persons."

"Oh," I drop my eyes to the ground.

"We're here to help out, Lisa," Paul continues, giving me an encouraging smile. "We just need to start out with some questions."

"Oh, uh," I open the door wider and step to the side. "Yeah. My uncle's upstairs, talking to the chief of-"

"We'd actually like to talk to you two, first." Meyerwich cuts in. "If that's alright."

"Um," I glance down at Toby, who refuses to look up at the men. "I'm okay with it, but I'm sure how much you can get out of Toby today. He, uh, he's very tired."

"That's alright," Paul nods kindly. "We'll do our best."

They follow me inside. I take a seat on the couch, while Meyerwich and Paul sit in the sofa adjacent to me. Toby climbs up and sits on my lap, but still won't look at the men.

"Can I get you guys anything?" I ask, not entirely sure what to do. I've never had the FBI at my house before.

"No, thanks." Paul smiles again. It's beginning to creep me out. "So, you were the one who called animal control?"

"Yeah," I nod politely. "After Toby said he let a wolf in, I checked and saw the front door was open. I mean, I thought he had been dreaming until then. So I called 911 just to be sure, and they sent Clem over."

"Clem?" Meyerwich asks, moving forward in his seat.

"The um, animal control guy. He didn't find a wolf, and didn't see my parents." I squeeze Toby's hand. "Then I checked their room, and they were gone. Y-you can go look at their room. It's just upstairs and down the hall."

"We will in a moment, Lisa," Paul tells me politely. I study his face but can't read it at all. "So your brother saw the wolf?"

"Yeah, Toby," I look down at my brother and find he's hiding his face. "But sir, it can't have been a wolf. We live in the middle of the suburbs, so unless one escaped the zoo or something, he must have been dreaming."

"It's just that we have to pursue every lead, miss." Meyerwich shrugs, staring at me. "To be safe."

"Of course," I reply slowly. "If you really think it'll get you anywhere."

Sure, that's not the most respectful thing I could have said to federal agents, but I find it kind of ridiculous they think Toby may have seen a wolf.

"We do, actually." Meyerwich replies curtly. "So, Toby, what'd you see?"

Toby says nothing, but buries his head into my shoulder yet again. He must be terrified still.

"He's, uh," I try to find the right words. "He thinks this whole deal is his fault. He won't say much."

"Well, to do the investigation, we kind of need to know all the facts." Meyerwich tells me gruffly.

"Dean," Paul warns his partner. So now I know one's first name.

"Right," Meyerwich nods. "Sorry."

"Toby," I pry my brother's face away from my shoulder, but he has his eyes shut tight. "Tobe, can they ask you some questions?"

He shakes his head violently and hides his head under a couch pillow. I glance over at the agents, who are watching with raised eyebrows.

"Toby," I coo softly. "The only way to find mama and daddy is if you answer their questions. There's nothing to be scared of. I promise."

"Hey, kid," Meyerwich adds in, voice suddenly soft and kind. "I can swear to you right now that if you help us out, we'll find your mom and dad."

Toby brings the pillow down just enough so he can see the agent.

"Swear it?" He sounds shaky. Nervous.

"We swear." Paul and Meyerwich pledge at the same times. I give a small smile.

"What do you say, Tobe?" I ask him, taking the pillow from his small hands. "Deal?"

Toby nods slowly, and sits up next to me. He takes my hand in yet another death grip, but I find it heartening. I watch my brother for a moment, taking him in. He's so small, still a baby in my mind although at eight years old, he's not so much of a child as he was. He's dressed this morning in a red tee shirt and jeans, and he has a frown on his face.

"Alright." Meyerwich nods. "Toby, right?" Toby nods back. "Okay, Toby. What'd you see last night?"

Toby takes a moment, staring at his sneakers and pondering his answer.

"I saw…" I can tell he's trying very hard to concentrate, and as luck would have it, my uncle appears at the top of the steps, along with police chief Turner at his side.

Chief Turner is a big guy. He's rather stocky, and only about 5'6. His uniform is, as most officers', black with his golden badge pinned to his chest. He has a kind face peppered with gray stubble, and has short gray hair on the back of his head. His receding hairline left a shiny bald spot smack dab in the middle. My uncle Chris is a very tall, very thin man with curly black hair and coke bottle lenses. Dressed in a nice button down and black slacks, he looks rather professional. He's very nice, but at the moment he looks confused, and a little bit angry.

"Who are you?" He asks sternly, and the two federal agents turn to face him.

"I'm Agent Paul," Paul says, standing and getting out his badge. "This is my partner, Agent Meyerwich. We're with the FBI, just here to ask a few questions."

"These kids have been through a lot-"

"When did you guys get jurisdiction?" Chief Turner cuts Uncle Chris off.

"I can give you my supervisor's number, if you want." Paul replies politely.

"I do, actually." Turner's eyes narrow.

"Agent Paul can give you that." Lancaster adds in curtly. "But I have to get some answers, which Toby here was going to give me."

"Toby, don't tell him anything until we get proof they're-" Chief Turner begins, but Meyerwich stands angrily.

"Listen," He growls, taking his badge from the inside pocket of his suit. "Maybe you don't believe us, but you can call our supervisor and have him prove it. Until then, bucko, I won't allow you to keep me from doing my job. This kid's memory could start to change at any minute, and I'm not risking finding his parents because you don't want someone else butting in on your case. And if you find out we're lying, cuff me and send me to the clink."

"Dean." Paul warns again, but Meyerwich bats a hand, not bothering to look at his partner.

"Quiet, Sammy." He continues, still glaring at Chief Turner. "I'm not letting any chance of finding these kids' family to go to waste, got it?"

Uncle Chris and I are watching this conversation, dumbfounded, while Toby returns to hiding his face under a pillow. I'm not sure who's going to win this particular argument, but I can almost smell the testosterone in the air. There's a moment incredibly tense glaring twixt Turner and Meyerwich, and then Turner finally speaks.

"Real dedication to the job, there." Turner says, smiling. It seems a bit forced to me. "I'll allow it, but I want your supervisor's number. Now."

"Of course," Paul intervenes before his partner can reply. "I'll be right on that."

Meyerwich stares at the chief for a moment or two before sitting down and slowly turning to Toby again while Paul heads over to Chief Turner and Uncle Chris as they descend the staircase. Toby unhides his face a little bit yet again, and I squeeze his hand gently.

"Ok, Toby, let's try this again." Meyerwich smiles. "What'd you see?"

Toby looks up at me and I smile. I'm beginning to like these guys, maybe even trust them. I want Toby to, as well, just in case. Meyerwich especially seems keen on helping us find my parents.

"I was in my room and I heard scratching and it woke me up." Toby says quietly, picking Wolfy up from the couch cushion and bringing him to his chest. "And I went to the door to see what it was."

He stops, looking down at Wolfy with an intense frown on his face. He kicks his feet nervously and begins to stroke the stuffed animal with his thumb. I tilt my head to the side, confused.

"Tobe?" I prompt him softly.

"It couldn'ta been a wolf." He mumbles to himself, not looking up. "You said it couldn'ta been a wolf."

"Toby, listen here for a sec," Meyerwich leans forward in his chair. "Whatever you could possibly say, I've heard a thousand times crazier. Hell, a million times crazier. So no matter what you say, I'll believe you. I promise."

This comment causes Toby to look up at the agent and smile trustingly.

"I saw a wolf at the door. He was big and gray and looked exactly like Wolfy." He looks at his stuffed animal and studies it. "But his eyes were wrong. And he could talk."

"What'd he say?" Meyerwich raises an eyebrow, and I glance over at my uncle, the police chief, and Agent Paul. They seem tense, but Paul seems to be talking them down. Chief Turner takes out a phone and begins dialing.

"He said…" Toby concentrates incredibly hard on Wolfy, trying to remember. "He said that he wanted to help Mom and Dad... and that if I invited him in, he would make sure they were safe."

"Anything else?" Meyerwich asks, frowning slightly.

"When I let him in, he told me to go to my room." Toby frowns and looks at me. "But I wanted to tell Lisa I saw a real live wolf, and I didn't." He pauses, and turns back to Agent Meyerwich. "Do you think that's why my mom and dad are gone?"

"Toby, I already told you none of this is your fault." I tell him gently, putting my arm around his shoulder and hugging him.

"Your sister's right, kid," Meyerwich nods. "You didn't do this. But we'll find who did. I swear."

Toby nods, but has begun to tear up anyway. I pull him closer to me and rub at his back, trying to comfort him. I can see Chief Turner is still on the phone, and I can hear him ask,

"I'm sorry, did you just say 'balls?'"

and I want to laugh but I can't. Whoever their supervisor is, he must be funny. In a few seconds, Chief Turner hangs up and nods at Agent Paul. Apparently they'd been verified.

"Can we see your parents' room?" Meyerwich asks, standing up again. I nod, and get up as well. Toby clings to me, so I pick him up again and set him on my hip. As I pass by my uncle and the Chief, I tell them where I'm headed. They nod, and Paul joins our group. I head to the top of the stairs, then to the room down the hall. I stay outside my parents' rom, because it makes me sick to my stomach. Not like there's anything in there.

"We'll only be a minute." Paul informs me, and I nod. I head back down the stairs and back to my Uncle and Chief Turner.

"Why's the FBI here again?" Uncle Chris asks the chief, who frowns.

"I guess they just ran out of federal cases. Not that it's awful having them around, but I'm not used to not being in charge around here."

I hold back a snort, and let Toby back down to the ground.

"Go get yourself some juice or something, Tobe," I tell him. He nods and follows my suggestion. I fold my arms and look at my uncle.

"Were you courteous to them, Lisa?" Chris asks, frowning. So much frowning around here. But there's not much to smile about.

"Of course," I roll my eyes.

"Did you offer them drinks or something?"

"I asked if they wanted anything and they said no," I explain. They're just feds, I think. He doesn't have to suck up so bad.

"Well, go ask again." He sighs, pointing at the stairs.

"Uncle Chris, I literally just asked, like, fifteen-"

"Go." He orders, and I obey. However reluctant I may be about it.

I walk up the stairs, careful not to stomp because I know that would cause a riot with my uncle, especially in front of the chief. As I walk to the door, I hear them talking in hushed tones, and can't help but listen in rather than interrupt.

"What're you thinking?" I hear Paul's voice ask quietly.

"Kid saw a wolf, and the wolf asked to be invited inside. There's no trace there was a wolf here at all." Meyerwich replies slowly, as if he's thinking. "First thing I can think of is a skinwalker."

"In this part of the states, Dean? Are you sure?" Paul sounds unsure.

"It doesn't make a load of sense, but something supernatural's going on here. This isn't a normal disappearance."

"A skinwalker though…" Agent Paul's voice trails off for a moment. "They normally eat their victims, though. Not drag them away. And last time we fought one, it turned into you and got us into loads of trouble."

"Like I said, something funky's going on here, Sammy. We need to get to the bottom of this, or those kids are going to wonder how their parents ended up dead for the rest of their lives."

Both of their words are cut off as I pull the door open, walk in, and shut it behind me. They look up at me, startled, and Meyerwich is about to talk when I say in a low but menacing voice,

"What's a skinwalker, and why did you lie to my brother about finding my parents if you think they're dead?"


	3. Chapter 3

The two agents stare at me, wide-eyed. Paul casts a quick glance at his partner, and addresses me in a nervous tone.

"A what?" He asks stupidly, and I shut the door behind me with a click.

"I heard you talking, so don't lie." I drop my voice to a hiss. "Are they dead?"

Meyerwich and Paul exchange glances again. Meyerwich makes a weird gesture, motioning towards me with his head, which apparently makes sense to Paul.

"We…" Paul sighs. "We don't know. Missing persons cases are always-"

"You know something, obviously." I cut in, crossing my arms. I find neither of these men likeable anymore.

"Look, kid," Meyerwich says condescendingly and I narrow my eyes. "This is government business. We don't have to tell you anything."

"Government business?" I raise an eyebrow. "I don't think you're actually FBI. You got really defensive when Turner didn't believe you, you're being incredibly secretive," I turn to face Paul, who's watching me with pursed lips. "And is your hair even regulation for a federal agent?" Back to Meyerwich. "Also, maybe you'd have been a lot kinder about the whole 'government business' thing. And my name is Lisa, not _kid_."

"You obviously haven't met many feds, then," Meyerwich rolls his eyes. "If you think they're kind. Bunch of dickwads, if you ask-"

"Dean," Paul cuts in, frowning. "That's enough."

Meyerwich turns to his partner, almost as if he can't believe what he's hearing.

"C'mon, Sam, you aren't seriously saying we _tell_ her? We don't even know if it's our kind of thing."

"I'm just saying she deserves to know." Paul shrugs, motioning towards but not looking at me. "She's scared, her parents are missing, and she's got a little brother to take care of. Remind you of anyone?"

Meyerwich steps closer to Paul, getting kind of up in his face in my opinion.

"Don't you bring Dad into this, Sam." Meyerwich spits, clenching and unclenching his fists. "That's way different."

"You were still scared, Dean," Paul reasons. "Imagine how she feels."

"I don't care how she feels, Sam. I just want this case- if it even is a case- over with."

"Then let's tell her, and maybe she can help." Sam crosses his arms, but doesn't step back.

"Yeah," I chime in. I'm both intrigued and terrified, scared and curious. These guys could be felons for all I know, but for some reason I don't think that's right. Whatever they aren't telling me has got to be pretty big, and I want to find my parents no matter what. Either way, I'm ignored as Paul continues.

"Why are you being such a jackass, anyway?"

I can tell Meyerwich wants to give some kind of angry, smart remark, but he stops himself.

"Whatever. Go ahead and tell her." He fumes, stepping away from Paul and glaring at me. "But whatever she screws up is on you."

He turns on heel and stomps to the door,opening it.

"Where are you going?" Agent Paul asks, and Meyerwich doesn't turn around as he replies.

"To give the chief some bullcrap reason why you two are still up here."

With that, Meyerwich heads out the door and down the hall. Paul sighs heavily and turns to me.

"Okay, Lisa," He gives an uneasy smile. "My name's Sam Winchester, and that was my brother, Dean. I promise he's not that annoying all the time.

I give a short laugh. I hope not.

"You're right." He continues, shrugging. "We aren't actually FBI agents."

"What are you then?" I asked, intrigued. "I'm guessing it's pretty illegal to impersonate federal agents."

"Yeah," Sam chuckles. "We've gotten away with worse." I raise my eyebrow but he continue. "But anyway,we're hunters. we hunt some… supernatural stuff."

I stare at him, wrapping my head around what he's just said.

"So like…" I speak slowly. "Ghosts and stuff?"

Sam nods, biting his lip unsurely as he notices the look on my face. I narrow my eyes and shake my head.

"You'd thing you could come up with a better lie." I put my hands on my hips.

"No," Sam steps towards me, hands out in a 'wait' sort of gesture. "I'm not lying."

"You lied about being FBI," I keep my voice low, but take a step back towards the open door. "So either you're lying again, or you're crazy."

"No, I swear, I'm not." He urges me quietly.

"Prove it," I say, half my weight on the back foot so I could turn around at any moment and sprint to my uncle.

"I- I can't right now." Sam tenses further when he sees me begin to turn my body. "Lisa, please. Just trust me."

I stare at him for a moment, weighing my options. I could go downstairs, pull my uncle aside, and tell him about the fake agents and what they've said. Or, I could decide to keep quiet and see how this whole ghost thing plays out. Maybe it's not the most tactile thing I could do, but I choose the latter, turning back to face Sam entirely. I nod, and he gives a soft sigh of relief, visibly relaxing.

"What's a skinwalker?" I ask, bringing my hands to my side.

"We've been up here too long." Sam says uneasily, glancing down the hallway. "They'll get suspicious if we take much longer." He pauses a moment, then reaches into the pocket of his black slacks and takes out a flip phone of the same color. A burner phone.

"Here, I'll give you my number. And Dean's, too, if you can't get ahold of me."

I take my phone from my pocket too, and enter the digits into my contacts as Sam reads them out. When he's finished, he puts his phone back in his pocket only for it to start to ring again. He glances at me, eyebrows raised.

"Just checking." I shrug, and stick my phone into the back pocket of my shorts. I turn on heel and exit the room, "Agent Paul" trailing close behind.

When I get to the top of the stairs, my uncle waves me down. Toby is clinging to him, one hand on a juice box, the other linked with Uncle Chris' hand. When I reach the bottom of the stairs, Toby lets go of Uncle Christ and takes my hand instead.

"Anyway," Agent Meyerwich- I mean, Dean- says. "We're just about done here, right,_Paul_?" He spits his brother's alias like it's bitter, and I frown.

"Yeah," Sam nods as though he hasn't heard how harshly Dean had spoken.

"We'll get back to you." Dean gives a curt smile and turns to the door, not glancing at me once. Not even to glare.

"Thanks," Sam nods to Chief Turner and my uncle. They nod back, and Sam heads out the door after his brother.

"I guess I should head out, too." Chief Turner sighs. "But before I do, can I ask what they said to you, Lisa?"

"Huh?" I ask as Toby squeezes my hand, then I shake my head. "Oh, yeah, sorry. Just normal stuff. Basically just what you and your guys asked me. What I saw last night, what my parents had been wearing…"

I trail off, and Turner nods again.

"Alright. Well, Chris, I'll keep in touch." He squats down to Toby's height, and my brother grasps my hand tighter. "We'll find them, kids. I'm sure of it."

"We have names," I mumble under my breath, but Turner doesn't seem to hear me.

"Bye, Chief." Chris waves politely, and I hear a car start outside. It's loud, but smooth, and I recognize it to be the same car Sam and Dean has arrived in. It roars off down the street as Turner leaves, closing the front door behind him.

"You good?" I ask my brother softly. He nods. "Good. They'll find them. D- Agent Meyerwich promised."

Chris turns to me, rubbing at his arm.

"Want me to fix you guys anything?" He asks, probably undsure of what to say.

"Uncle Chris, you burnt macaroni." I laugh, but it sounds forced. "I'll find something in the cupboard for us."

"Good," Chris smiles sheepishly. "I really am an awful cook."

I laugh again and head to the kitchen, Toby in tow. As soon as I'm out of sight, I take out my phone. I have several new texts from several friends, but I ignore them and compose a new message that simply asks, "What's a skinwalker?"

I lock my phone and set it on the counter, gently pulling my hand from Toby's grasp.

"What do you want to eat?" I ask him, walking to the cupboards next to the stove. "And don't say you're not hungry."

"Um," He says timidly, thinking. "Soup."

"What kind?" I ask, but I already know the answer. I reply in unison with him.

"Chicken noodle."

This gets a small smile out of him, and I smile back. I take two cans of soup from the cupboard and bring them to the counter. As soon as they touch the marble countertop, my phone plays the refrain of "Happy" by Pharrell Williams, signalling I have a new text.

"It's a person who can turn into other people or animals. That's what we think your brother saw. And they can't enter houses unless they're invited in, which would explain why Toby was even involved."

I frown at the message. Honestly, it sounds like a bunch of bull to me, but I go along anyway.

"So what did it want with my parents?"

It takes Sam a long time to reply. I put the bowls in the microwave and check my phone. Nothing. I get out two spoons and check my phone. Nada. I continue this pattern until I'm in the living room with Toby, each of us clutching a hot bowl of soup in our hands. I turn on the t.v. and search through the guide, finally deciding on Captain America. I take a seat next to Toby on the couch and nervously check my phone again. Still nothing.

By now, I can feel my hands shaking around my phone. I try to tell myself maybe he's busy, maybe his phone died, maybe he lost signal. But I know why he isn't replying. Who wants to tell a girl her parents are dead?

I turn my attention to the t.v. to try to distract myself, only to find it's the part of the movie where Bucky falls off the train. I feel incredibly sick to my stomach.

Suddenly my phone goes off, and I stop the song as soon as it starts playing. It's far too upbeat, and I make a mental not to change the ringtone later. For now, I set it to vibrate.

"It would be easier to explain in person, but not somewhere public. Can we pick you up tomorrow? Dean and I will explain everything."

I don't even answer his question. Instead, I bite my cheek and reply:

"So they're dead?"

I get a hurried reply, solely stating:

"We don't know that. This is an unusual case."

I glance over at Toby and see he's fallen asleep, still holding the barely touched bowl of soup in his hands. I set my phone down on the arm of the soda and take the soup from him, placing it on the coffee table in front of the couch. He doesn't wake up. He hasn't slept since we found out Mom and Dad are missing, which was roughly three in the morning. It's 1:30 or so now, so I decide to let him sleep.

I take my phone and type out a reply.

"I have school tomorrow, and it ends at 3. I'll be outside the front doors of Red Castle High."

As I set my phone down on the arm again, I have a bad feeling about the whole ordeal. My parents have disappeared, some guys pretending to be feds tell me it's some shapeshifting lunatic, and I'm planning on getting in a car with them. I'm not sure why, but Sam seems trustworthy. Dean, however, is iffy. I don't know what I've done, but he doesn't seem to like me. My phone vibrates and falls off the couch.

"We'll be there in a black 1967 Impala."

This confirmation text doesn't make me feel any better. Maybe I shouldn't be doing this, maybe I should tell Sam I can't or tell my uncle what I know. What would Toby do if I went missing too?

I type out my reply.

"Wait, I can't. Uncle Chris will know."

I stare at the letters for a moment, my thumb hovering over the send button. I shake my head and backspace, deleting it all. I try again.

"This is a bad idea. You could be a couple of psychopaths and I don't know if I can trust you."

Again, I study the message, debating whether this reply is suitable or not.

But something in my heart twinges. Where else would the wolf have come in to play? What other explanation is there for a gray would to be in the middle of the suburbs, that only Toby saw? It could have been just a dream… but now something in my gut tells me it wasn't. I delete what I've written.

"Sounds good."

I press send before I can change my mind again, and immediately feel a rush of two emotions. The first is nervousness. There's no going back now. The second, however, is a vague sense of relief. Someone's out there trying to find my parents, someone who's got a lot wider mindset. I give a small smile before I lock and pocket my phone, and I allow the whole current situation I'm in to slip from my mind.


End file.
